This invention relates generally to equipment used in tending to the hooves of animals and more particularly concerns an apron to be worn while shoeing horses.
While horse-shoeing is an old trade, the evolution of horse-shoeing aprons has been quite modest. Leather, chap-like aprons have been most commonly used over the years and serve their protective purpose well for as long as they remain serviceable. However, horse-shoers tend to develop their own unique and repeatable styles of performing their trade. As a result, each shoer generally consistently positions the animals' hooves in the same position in relation to the thigh areas of the apron. The purpose of the leather is to resist penetration of a shoeing tool through the apron to the thigh of the shoer. Once the first such penetration occurs, a permanent hole is created in precisely the spot that the next penetration will most likely occur. As a result, shoeing aprons generally are no longer serviceable after this first occurrence and are discarded. The cost of a new leather apron is considerable in comparison to the fees that can be charged for the shoeing. Moreover, for as long as they are serviceable, cleaning and maintaining leather aprons is difficult and time consuming or, in an unfortunate alternative, simply does not happen. They also take up considerable storage or travel bag space.
More recently, in order to reduce the cost of the aprons, to lighten the aprons—perhaps for comfort or perhaps in deference to airplane baggage weight limitations—or to increase the comfort of the shoer while working, the aprons are made of a non-leather material selected for price, weight or air-permeability, or some compromise of these characteristics. Leather pads are then sewn onto the non-leather aprons to afford the desired penetration resistance. While the use of these materials for the aprons accomplishes the specific purposes for which they are selected, such materials do not mitigate the first penetration or washability problems. Furthermore, while the choice of materials may reduce the weight of an apron to increase the shoer's comfort, it does not eliminate any need for having multiple aprons available in case an apron becomes unserviceable by reason of a thigh pad penetration. Such a concern might make it necessary to pack one or more extra aprons in airplane baggage, compounding any weight limitation problems.
It is, therefore, a primary object of this invention to provide an improved shoeing apron. Another object of this invention is to provide a shoeing apron which resists penetration by a shoeing tool. It is also an object of this invention to provide a shoeing apron which is not rendered unserviceable by a single penetration of a shoeing tool. A further object of this invention is to provide a shoeing apron which is lighter than a leather apron. Still another object of this invention is to provide a shoeing apron which is more comfortable than a leather apron. Yet another object of this invention is to provide a shoeing apron which is less expensive than a leather apron. It is also an object of this invention to provide a shoeing apron which is washable. A further object of this invention is to provide a shoeing apron which reduces the need for having multiple aprons available in case an apron becomes unserviceable by reason of a thigh pad penetration.